What’s all the fuss about pixels?

Plug in a regular string of lights and they just come on. Now imagine being able to control each individual light and even it's color. Each light or group of lights is called an RGB pixel or just pixel. Light-O-Rama was an early pioneer of this amazing technology. That's a Cosmic Color Ribbon to the right.

What’s a sequence?

Using precise timing, every action you see in a show is synchronized with the music and is repeatable. We call it sequencing. If you are the creative type, doing this gives you total control. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Designer provides all the tools you need.

Take advantage of Light-O-Rama partners. They’re here to help!

Got a really big project and don't have a clue where to start? Tap into the exceptional expertise of Light-O-Rama partners. They will take your idea and figure out what Light-O-Rama products can bring it to life. Light-O-Rama partners can also source other products as well as do some or all of the work. Find a partner near you and contact them immediately!

What’s a Smart Pixel?

What’s a smart pixel? Any light, any color at any time. Here’s a great example submitted by one of our customers:

What happens when mixing a little bit of red with some yellow paint? Typically, orange.

What if you could mix together different colors of light? We took three colored spotlight beams, one red, one green and one blue, aimed them at a white brick wall and looked at the results. Click the picture to the right for a closer look. Where two beams overlapped, a different color was produced. Where all three beams overlapped in the center, there was white. By varying the intensities of the red, green and blue lights we could create almost any color of the rainbow. The scientists call it ‘additive color’ because they are added together. The rest of the world calls it RGB (Red Green Blue) technology.

Some of the latest Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology puts the equivalent of a separate red, green and blue light source into what looks like one bulb. By varying the intensities of the red, green and blue sources, the bulb appears to change color. They’re called RGB LEDs. Start thinking of the possibilities. You create the final color by controlling the individual brightness of red, green and blue. That’s three control channels and it’s typically called a pixel.

A smart pixel light ribbon or smart pixel light string means every pixel is individually controllable. 50 sections on your smart pixel ribbon? Each section can be any color. 50 lights on your smart pixel string? Each light can be any color. Now you know where we got the phrase: any light, any color at any time.

Smart pixels mean you control the color of each light

If you have a string of 50 smart pixels then you can control the color of each individual light on that string. Remember that each pixel requires three control channels so for a string of 50 smart pixels you’ll need (50 x 3 =) 150 control channels.

Cosmic Color means easy-to-add smart pixel devices

The Light-O-Rama engineers got pretty excited when RGB technology emerged many years ago One engineer was staring at the bulbs late in the evening when he was in a particularly mellow state-of mind-and said it was a comic experience. Light-O-Rama Cosmic Color devices were born. Pretty soon Light-O-Rama added Cosmic Color bulbs, floods, pixels and ribbons to the catalog.

How does Cosmic Color smart pixel technology work? Remember the explanation above and one simple sentence: Any bulb, any color, any time. By varying how bright each color is in the pixel you can create almost any color.

To make it easier for you, we include a sophisticated pixel controller with each Cosmic Color smart pixel device. We also provide a properly sized power supply that will work in almost any country (120-240VAC).

Cosmic Color devices include the controller and power supply

“Light-O-Rama Cosmic Color bulbs, floods, pixels and ribbons include a controller and power supply so all you need to do is plug them into a Light-O-Rama data network.

Cosmic Color Ribbons

The Light-O-Rama Cosmic Color Ribbon is a flexible, weatherproof strip with 150 super bright RGB LEDs spaced evenly along its length. The 16.4′ (5 meters) ribbon can be broken into 50 pixels, meaning you control 50 individual sections. With the right kind of sequencing, the ribbon can dance to the music and dazzle your audience with fast moving effects. Find out more and watch videos of what Cosmic Color Ribbons can do for your venue.

Cosmic Color Bulbs and Pixels

We created a high tech light string where each bulb is about the size of a C9 Christmas light and call them Cosmic Color Bulbs. Each bulb is a RGB pixel so each bulb can be any color at any time while being under your full control. We also have smaller bulb form factors that can be used in many different applications. We call them Cosmic Color Pixels. What can Cosmic Color Bulbs and Pixels do for your venue? Let your imaginations be your only limitation.

Cosmic Color Floods

The Cosmic Color Floods are great for wall washes, blinders or anything else where you want a super-bright light source to change colors on your command. Cosmic Color Floods are outdoor rated and designed to bring life to a featureless backdrop or venue.

These 50 watt floods have a built-in controller and power supply to make installation easier. Are they bright? No need to worry. A 50 watt RGB based LED is about the same brightness as a 300 watt incandescent flood with a much more concentrated light source.

Can Cosmic Color Floods do tricks? They have a built-in strobe function for dazzling the crowds. We even have a ultraviolet flood that’s perfect for haunts or any venue where you want to use black light effects.

What about controlling your own smart pixels?

Already have some smart pixel devices and looking for a way to control them easily within the Light-O-Rama ecosystem? Keep in mind each smart pixel needs three control channels, one for each of the internal red, green and blue colors. If you have a string of 100 smart pixels that adds up to 300 control channels. Lots of smart pixels means lots of control channels.

Our PixCon16 is an advanced controller that handles 16 SPI ports, each controlling up to 340 pixels. Designed for the sophisticated user with a deep technical background this smart pixel controller can also handle up to four DMX-512 ports. Communicate via a highspeed Light-O-Rama data network or E1.31 (DMX over Ethernet). Add your own power supply and watch the magic!

Our Pixie series of smart pixel controllers have 2, 4, 8 or 16 ports. Designed for the typical user, each port on the controller board can handle up to 100 smart pixels. Create your own pixel trees, matrices, leaping arches or outline your venue in smart pixels. The possibilities are endless.

What about dumb RGB pixels?

Is it possible to make an entire pixel string or ribbon look like one giant pixel meaning all the lights are the same color at the same time so it’s much easier to control? Yes. They’re called dumb RGB pixel devices.